


Catch of the Day

by twitch



Series: kylux cantina prompts [23]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fishing, Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 08:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15409311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twitch/pseuds/twitch
Summary: Ben goes out fishing. Hopes to catch dinner. His morning at the lake does not go... swimmingly.





	Catch of the Day

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Kylux Cantina Week 55, summer theme. The prompt is fishing. What Ben catches is not what he expects.

The air shifted around him, a soft breeze that tickled at his bare arms. Cotton wisps of cloud kept the sun from being too overbearing. His bicycle had been abandoned where the dirt path ended, the stones lining the beach too hard for the tires. He carried his fishing pole and backpack to the point where waves beat, slow and rhythmic, against the rocks.

It really was perfect for fishing. It wasn’t too hot that the fish would be hiding in the depths of the lake. The breeze would encourage the current, dragging his bait through the water. And it was still relatively early that the fish should be hungry enough to check out the worm on his hook. 

He kept his own food in his backpack, casting line, hook and worm into the lake with an easy swing. A separate insulated bag, chilled overnight in the freezer in addition to the ice packs that lined the inside of the casing, remained in the backpack, hoping to have a fish inside it for tonight’s dinner. 

Within the first hour he caught a couple of fish, but neither of regulation. Carefully prising them off his hook he eased them back into the water 

Another ploink, hook and weight catching the sunlight to briefly glimmer before cutting through the gentle crests of the water, a third worm sank into the lake.  

It may have been twenty minutes later when he saw the tip of the fishing rod dip. He tightened his fingers on the gear but the rod straightened out. 

Dragging his teeth over his lip he hesitated. It could’ve been the currents toying with his bait. Or it may have been a nibble to loosen the worm from the hook. He waited longer to see if he’d get another pull on the line before deciding to reel it in, check on the hook and readjust, or replace, the worm.

His eyes widened when the top half of his fishing pole jiggled. He didn’t stop to think, rising to his feet to try steadying the line. Sure enough something resisted, tugged, forcing him to dig his feet into the stones, stepping one foot back for balance. 

If this was a log he was going to be very upset. 

Out far enough in the lake, as far as his bait might be, the water churned up into taller waves, and a tail fin the breadth of his forearm, shimmering a pale green under the sunlight, splashed clean out of the water. 

“What the shit?” Shock, and the need to see the size of the fish he caught, prompted him to start weaving the line. Letting it go loose, catching it taut, before winding it back up, a game of tug of war. The fact that the fish wasn’t tiring only got him more excited, grinning as he watched the splashes get closer to his point of land. 

Arm muscles worked until, with a hard yank, he heard more than saw a weight cutting up from the water. Squeezing his eyes shut he continued to draw the spool and line back, fingers and arms straining, full body weight leaning back.

Another tug from the water had his balance topple, pulling him forward. He stumbled to keep upright, but his shoes slid over the pebbles and loose dirt until he pitched forward entirely, sliding on his belly down the short slope, until his head dunked under the water. 

With a gasp he lifted his head up, wet hair hanging past his shoulders. He looked up from the dirt, eyes meeting the glare that rose from the water. 

A hand lifted next, smacking his cheek. “You asshole!”

His face throbbed slightly but he felt relatively unconcerned, not when he realised the hand that remained outstretched, ready to hit him again, had blood trickling down its fingers, splayed wide to show the webbed flesh that joined them. Blood that sluggishly seeped further down the arms, a few pale green marks, almost like freckles (almost like scales), helping to carve the path. 

“Unhand me now or so help me….” The warning came out low, but not low enough to hide the curious accent.

Looking away from the long pale arm Ben gaped at the man before him. His mind argued that it wasn’t that simple, his gaze locking onto shapely lips that were turning a darker blue by the minute, those pale green spots accenting cheekbones and temples, only to bring into focus the blue eyes that watched him unblinkingly. 

In the water, a short length behind the man, the pale green tail fin flicked irritably. 

Ben shook his head, squeezed his eyes again. Opening them the man… fish, remained as he… it, was, even if one side of its lip snarled back. 

“Are all you humans this stupid?”

**Author's Note:**

> If interested you can follow me over at [Tumblr](http://centurytwitch.tumblr.com).


End file.
